breakbeat

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemusic

   A style of electronic dance music with a fast, syncopated drum pattern, often sampled from funk or hip-hop.

   Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the genre: 'I listen to breakbeat.' It can be countable when meaning a particular track or pattern: 'a classic breakbeat.'

   Patterns

   • breakbeat music
   • a breakbeat track
   • the breakbeat scene

   The DJ switched from house to breakbeat to wake up the crowd.

   Breakbeat often uses drum samples from old funk records.

   She produced a breakbeat track that became a club hit.

2. 2nouncountablemusic

   A syncopated drum rhythm, especially one used as a sample in hip-hop or electronic music.

   Grammar: Countable when referring to a specific rhythmic pattern: 'a breakbeat,' 'two breakbeats.'

   Patterns

   • a breakbeat pattern
   • sample a breakbeat
   • play a breakbeat

   The producer looped a famous breakbeat from a 1970s funk song.

   That breakbeat is one of the most sampled drum patterns in history.

   He practiced the breakbeat on his drum kit for hours.

Common combinations

breakbeat music

Breakbeat music is known for its energetic, chopped-up drum sounds.

breakbeat track

They played a new breakbeat track at the party.

breakbeat scene

The breakbeat scene in London grew in the 1990s.

sample a breakbeat

He sampled a breakbeat from an old record for his song.

Synonyms and how they differ

break

In music, 'break' often means the same rhythmic section, but 'breakbeat' specifically refers to the genre or the pattern used in electronic music.

drum and bass

A related but faster genre with heavier bass; breakbeat is broader and includes other styles.

Word family

break noun

A short rhythmic passage in a song, especially a drum solo.

beat noun

The basic rhythmic unit in music.

Commonly confused: breakbeat or break dance?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “breakbeat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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